


Of Mages and Mana

by JkWriter



Series: Warcraft Drabbles [1]
Category: Warcraft (2016), Warcraft - All Media Types
Genre: Orc Hunting, Post-Movie(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-20
Updated: 2016-06-20
Packaged: 2018-07-16 03:45:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7250662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JkWriter/pseuds/JkWriter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Khadgar really shouldn't try casting so many spells at once, his mana is still developing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of Mages and Mana

Khadgar wiped the sweat from his forehead as he drew the last image that would allow him to cast the spell. 

Lothar, who had been watching the Mage lean over the runes he had been drawing, pushed himself from the tree he had been leaning against. The Lion of Azeroth inspected the runes. While magic was not something he was familiar with, time spent with Medivh before his betrayal had taught him basic protection spells, such as the one Khadgar had spent the past hour drawing around their camp. 

“Is that it?” A soldier asked. Lothar glanced to his side at one of the new recruits. 

They had a lot of those lately. Boys in their late teens and young men who had lost someone during the first wave of the Horde that attacked them. Many of them were survivors of the villages sacked by the Orcs. 

“Should be.” Khadgar answered, his hands moving to hover above the runes he had drawn. Still kneeling in place he muttered softly under his breath. The words rolled off his tongue and magic began gathering in his hands. The blue waves flowed from his body down to the runes, lighting the circle he had drawn around the camp.

The new soldiers, those who had never seen magic beyond that of Gul’dan, watched, entranced as Khadgar used his ability to protect rather than hurt. The one who had spoken earlier, Jeromé, as Lothar remembered, reached his hand forward into the energy flowing around them. 

The kid’s a mage. 

Lothar thought to himself. He made a note to talk to Khadgar about it later. For now he walk through to runes on the other’s command. 

“That should do it. Only those we perceive as friendly will be able to pass through the runes.” Khadgar smiled,obviously proud of what he had done. Lothar was too. In just a few short months Khadgar’s magical power had grown significantly. Having complete access to Karazhan’s library helped. 

Khadgar stood and brushed the dirt off his knees.While still having to physically draw runes on the ground was a minor setback it was nothing he couldn’t handle. His magic was getting better and soon enough he’d be able to do a protection spell like this in his sleep. 

Lothar stepped back into the enchantment. 

“Good work, Khadgar. We can sleep easy knowing the Guardian of Azeroth is protecting us.”

The soldiers around them spoke words of agreement while Khadgar stumbled to put together a simple sentence. 

“I’m not, I mean, I shouldn’t-” Lothar put a hand on Khadgar’s shoulder. 

“Relax, kid. You’ll be a fine guardian. You’ve already proven to be stronger than the Fel and that alone speaks for something. Besides,” He lowered his voice and leaned down so only Khadgar could hear. “All of these soldiers look up to you,you don’t want to disappoint them, do you?” 

Khadgar frowned. Lothar was right. Ever since word got out about how he had defeated Medivh he was considered a hero. New soldiers were almost always nervous to meet him and the duties he performed were now on the order of the Royal Family. The mantle of Guardian had been passed on to him, even if he didn’t have a say in the matter. 

Lothar stepped back allowing Khadgar the space to breathe. The soldiers had spread out away from them and gone about setting up the remainder of camp they hadn’t done before Khadgar finished. Khadgar, for his part,was worn out from using much of his magic to cast the spell. He slipped away from everyone to go sit alone, just outside of the camp. However, he casted a smaller and simpler version of the same protection spell around him, just in case. The battle against the Orcs of left him cautious. He couldn’t afford to make any mistakes.

Lothar, who watched Khadgar go, joined his men in building the camp. It looked as though something was bothering the mage, but that could wait until nightfall. Right now the camp was more important. 

\---

When the sun set and the darkness enloped them but Khadgar was still nowhere to be see, Lothar allowed himself to worry. Yes, Khadgar was an excellent mage and could hold his own in a match against an Orc or two, but what they were facing was the prospect of having to go against an entire clan. That wasn’t something Khadgar could do alone. 

“I’ll be back. Watch the camp. The barrier is sound, but the Orcs have access to magic. Don’t let them in, no matter what.” He said, pushing himself up from the bedroll he had been sitting on.The soldier he had been talking to nodded and relayed the message to the others. Lothar didn’t wait. He stepped through the runes outside the camp.

There was a distinct difference in how he felt inside the runes and out. While inside of them he felt warm, protected, outside a chill moved up his spine. It was as though something inside him, a primal instinct, knew he was no longer safe. All the more reason for him to find Khadgar quickly and drag him back to the camp. 

He gripped the dagger he kept holstered to his thigh, ready to wield it if necessary. Wolves howled in the distance. Their sounds only fueled their suspicions that Orcs had taken refuge nearby. Ever since the invasion of Azeroth had begun and ended they had been getting reports of Orcs from all over. While it was impossible for them to check every one, reports such as this would catch their attention. The Orcs seemed to be moving North, away from the humans of Stormwind but towards their allies in Lordaeron. While they shouldn’t care as Lordaeron had done nothing for them when their assistance was required most, the Orcs were their problem. Stormwind vowed to stop them, not let them invade other kingdoms.

The familiar feel of Khadgar’s magic surrounded him. Lothar stopped. He felt the magic pull on him, tug him in a certain direction, but could not hear Khadgar himself.

That was… Worrying. 

“Kid?” He called out, following in the direction the magic pulled him. Hundreds of scenarios began to cross his mind.

_Khadgar being attacked by Orcs and killed._

_Khadgar being attacked by Orcs and captured._

_Khadgar being attack by wild animals and killed._

_Khadgar being fought over by Orcs and wild animals, both of whom want to kill him._

What he wasn’t prepared for was seeing Khadgar, lying in the middle of the forest, unconscious and pale. 

“Dammit, kid.” Lothar said, jogging over to him. He turned Khadgar gently from lying face down, to lying on his side. His skin was cold to the touch but he was breathing and his magic was flowing. 

He looked similar to how Medivh had when the previous Guardian used too much magic at once. He had heard him talk about it before, mana deficiency. 

Lothar looked over Khadgar, checking for any wounds before grabbing the satchel the mage always carried on him. Like he expected it was enchanted to hold more than it looked as though it could. 

“I know you’ve got a mana potion somewhere, now where the hell is it.” He mumbled, pulling things out lying them on the ground. There was a variety of herbs, a notebook and quill, and multiple books Lothar had seen lying around Karazhan at some point in time. Towards the bottom of the bag he found them.

Four small vials, all glowing with a dark blue hue. 

He grabbed one, leaving the others lying in the bag. He struggled with the cap before managing to pop it open. A puff of smoke erupted before a steady stream rose from the bottle. Lothar moved to sit on the ground in such away that Khadgar was able to lean against him. He pried open the mages mouth and slowly poured the vial in, making sure Khadgar swallowed.

It was just like what happened to Medivh. The recovery wasn’t instant, but Khadgar’s skin warmed back to a reasonable level and the color returned. He breathed out a sigh of relief. It wouldn’t have gone well if the new Guardian of Azeroth died while on his watch only mere months after his gained the appointment.

Yet something was still bothering Lothar about that. Even adding the small protection spell around him to the one he did around the camp, Khadgar shouldn’t have over exerted his mana like he had. Once again Lothar went into attack mode, his eyes scanned the earth around them for anything out of the ordinary, anything that would have caused Khadgar to use more magic than had been necessary.

Lying on the ground, about fifty feet North, nearly hidden by the forest, was the unmistakable axe belonging to an Orc. It was larger than any a Human would use and covering it was green blood. 

Lothar looked back down to Khadgar still leaning against him, who had begun to open his eyes. As always Lothar watched as they opened, checking for any hints of the Fel. Satisfied that he didn’t see any he let Khadgar awake as usual. 

To say Khadgar was confused to awake leaning against Lothar, a used mana potion on the ground next to them, was an understatement. 

He sat up on his own and rubbed his head.

“What happened?”

“I was hoping you could tell me. The sun set and you hadn’t returned to camp, I come to find you only to see you unconscious from mana deficiency and a bloodied Orc weapon nearby.

And, while I would love to hear the story, I feel as though we should return to camp before they,” He motioned towards the weapon. “Return with friends.”

Khadgar nodded in agreement, gathering up his things Lothar had left scattered about the ground. 

“Truth be told, I’m not sure what happened.” He said, placing the books back into his satchel. “I believe there was a fight between Orcs, however I’m not sure. I remember, a hammer?” 

“It doesn’t matter right now, c’mon kid.” 

Lothar had stood and held his hand out to Khadgar. It was much like how they had been in Karazhan after Medivh had used his magic on Khadgar, only this time Lothar didn’t pull away. 

A lot had changed in the months since the Orcs. While friends were lost, others were gained.

**Author's Note:**

> so that little orc battle khadgar saw, in my mind it was basically a rogue orc attacking and ogrim (having remembered him because of durotan) saving him and yeah


End file.
